Sid Meier's Civilization, the brainchild of Sid Meier was the first game of its kind[citation needed]. Taking control of all aspects of a fledgling Civilization from 4000 B.C.E., this was probably the most important building block of the turn-based strategy game. A popular game and first in a successful series, Sid Meier's Civilization is widely regarded as a classic and a masterpiece though it has clearly been superseded since.

Taking up a minuscule 2.6 MB and sporting basic 2D graphics, Sid Meier's Civilization's pulling power always came from the massive scope of the game - economics, domestic policy, science, culture, diplomacy and of course, war were all controlled over thousands of years of human development that created an incredibly fulfilling and involving gaming experience that has remained the template for many strategy games up to the present day.